Stable micrometer for strip thickness measurement

28.09.2009

Micro-Epsilon has launched a special C-clamp system for measuring the thickness of sheet strips. The inline system makes it much easier for metalworking companies to measure strip thickness during the production process. With a width of just 50mm, the clamp can be easily integrated into existing systems. Two new types of laser sensors are mounted opposite one another on one axis on the micrometer. These sensors measure the distance to the surface of the sheet from two sides. The exact thickness of the strip is calculated from the two distance signals. This method provides continuously reliable measurements and wear-free operation. The acquired data is used to regulate the production process or for quality control purposes. During coil changes, a master part is placed in the measuring gap, which automatically compensates the system and re-calibrates the C-clamp for new measurements. The very stable design of the system makes it possible to measure depths up to 1.000mm to the sheet edge. If a variable measuring track needs to be measured, the system can easily be mounted on a mechanical carriage and therefore traverse across the strip. Due to using a differential method for thickness measurement, the sheet can move within the measuring gap without invalidating the measurement results. Two C-clamps can also be connected to the evaluation unit for measuring multiple tracks. The sensor used here is the optoNCDT1700 LL model with integrated controller. The laser sensor is specially developed for measuring metals and so provides extremely precise measurement results. In the case of particularly fast production processes, the sensor can be replaced with the optoNCDT 2220LL which measures thicknesses at 20kHz.